“I chose to have a dog and not a child”, the testimony of veterinarian Hélène Gateau

Petparent Can you love your dog like you love a child? This is the theory developed by Hélène Gateau and experienced with Colonel, which she describes in a book “I chose to have a dog and not a child”, the testimony of veterinarian Hélène Gateau — 20 Minutes

With more than 80 million pets in France, “petparents” (“animal parents”” in English), are more and more numerous. Veterinarian Hélène Gateau is one of them but has also chosen not to have children. In 2019, she adopted Colonel, a Border Terrier, and created a close relationship with him, close to that of a mother and her baby. She testifies to this attachment in her new work Why I chose to have a dog (and not a child) at to be published by Éditions Albin Michel on September 13.

“Colonel is a partner, a friend and a confidant. I’m not going to say he’s the lover I don’t have but he has a very important place in my life.” Here is how Hél`ne Gateau candidly describes her relationship with her four-and-a-half-year-old Border Terrier. The veterinarian explores in her book her attachment to his Colonel based on sociological or scientific studies. Questioning classic family patterns and the sometimes porous border between the world of animals and that of men.

Watch the interview with Hélène Whole cake in the video at the top of this article.